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Crabs and Pots

By Patsy and Dave Bishop 

A great writer said that the secret to a happy life is like walking in an English garden.  You have to be able to smell the roses while avoiding the pricks.  That’s not nautical enough for us, so the secret to boating happiness is to enjoy the crabs while avoiding the pots.  Patsy and I encountered a number of crabs and pots on our trip from Fort Myers Florida to Bear Delaware.  I’m sure we didn’t find all of either category, so I’d be interested in your opinions, too.  Since some of us will be going southward on the ICW soon, let me share with you our opinions, going from north to south.

Enjoy the Crabs

Anchor Bay East Marina, Dundalk, MD

The best working boatyard on the bay.  This is a great, full-service marina that prides itself on getting the job done quickly and excellently.  The marina works seven days a week, starting at 7 am.  They also have great fuel prices and are fairly easy to get to, near Baltimore.  They specialize in fiberglass work (restoration, reconstruction, and fabrication), diesel and gasoline engine repairs, rebuilds and replacements, and electrical repairs.  It’s just hard to describe what a nice, well managed boatyard this is.

Dismal Swamp Canal

The Dismal Swamp Canal, if it is still open, is a great one-time experience.  Especially for shallower draft boats (read 3.5 feet or less).  The Dismal Swamp Canal is NOT recommended for boats over 50 feet in length.  Call the posted number to make sure that the canal is open on the day you want to transit. This is a historic, scenic cruise at idle speed.  The Welcome Center is the only one in the US that serves a major highway (US 17) and a waterway.  To complete the transit in one day, make either of the first two lock openings.  Our favorite experiences involve the Deep Creek lock tender who directed us to the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant where we tied up for the night.  The next morning, he served us coffee and serenaded us with his conch shell.  You just have to be there.

Elizabeth City, NC

The pretty little city at the South end of the Dismal Swamp canal offers free tie-ups when room is available, along with cheese and wine in the afternoon. 

Alligator River Marina, Manteo, NC

You have to stop in and see Miss Wanda at the Alligator River Marina.  She won’t tell you her fuel prices unless you stop in.  If you have to ask, you must be a sailboater.  However, Miss Wanda will do what ever she can to make your trip better.  If you haven’t enjoyed such a treat, buy a cup of boiled peanuts and some beer at the store and spend the night.  Eating boiled peanuts is sloppy, so you may want to do that off the boat.

Fathom-This, Edenton, NC

Pete, Dan, and Zeb run this excellent repair facility.  Dan handles most of the repairs and he’ll travel to where you are to help out.  If you need some work done, these guys are some of the best.

Beaufort, NC

One of my high school friends lives in Beaufort, NC along with her husband.  Allison runs Handscape Gallery which is a short walk from the marinas.  Stop by, tell her Dave Bishop said something nice about her and buy something.  Beaufort is what I imagine riverfront towns were like a long time ago.  Good restaurants, good shopping, and friendly people make this a nice layover.  There is a real, live pirate there, Captain Sinbad or something like that, who makes life interesting.  Please note that he is not dangerous to anyone other than himself.

Hazzard Marine, Georgetown, SC

We had our mail delivered here.  It’s just off the ICW.  It offers slip side pump outs, good fuel prices, and an energetic, courteous staff.  Plus, Georgetown is a nice place to spend the night.

Port Royal Landing Marina, Beaufort, SC

This marina is located on the ICW inside a strictly enforced no-wake zone.  The marina looks a little strange because the tidal difference in this part of the ICW runs between 5 and 12 feet.   The floating docks can be quite a distance below the main pier.  Three things made this marina a Crab.  They use portable pump out wagons for the septic service.  They include fuel additives in the fuel.  They may be the most courteous marina we’ve found on the ICW.  Beaufort is a picturesque town on both sides of the ICW.  You can go from the historic eastern side for good eating and pleasant views or to the west side for discount shopping.  Port Royal let us borrow a vehicle and we made good use of the boating supply stores nearby.  We stayed two days and should have stayed longer.  The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful.  The restaurant is okay, sort of a neighborhood bar kind of place, because the marina is located in an upscale community.  This is one of the must stop places on the ICW.

Amelia Island Yacht Basin, Amelia Island, FL

We were about to leave Florida when Patsy asked me how far up my GPS coverage ran.  I told her that, after the Georgia border, we would have to rely on her paper charts.  That was when she told me that we didn’t have any paper charts.  Amelia Island was just ahead.  We called and asked if we could stop by and buy some charts.  It turned out that they didn’t have what we needed, so they let us borrow their van and go to a boating supply store to get the charts.  They encouraged us to see the town, have lunch, and shop for awhile.   We didn’t buy anything from this marina.  We will on our way back south.  They are our absolutely must stop location on the way back south.

St. Augustine Municipal Marina

One of the best things about St. Augustine is that it is much older than me.  Not too much meets those criteria these days.  The marina crew is friendly and helpful.  The marina is right in the heart of town.  The marina store is like any other one – they have some stuff you need, a lot of stuff you don’t, and could care less if you buy something.  The good news is that you can walk almost anywhere.  The bad news might be that you have to take a cab to groceries and Wal-Mart.  Our cab driver was great.  He took us directly to where we wanted to go and he made several stops for us on the way back to the boat.  I kept his card and will request him by number when we go back.

Palm Coast Marina, Statute Mile 802.8

I was too lazy to change our fuel filters when I should have and we had them clog up while on a desolate part of the ICW.  We had to find a place to tie up to change the filters fast.  We called Palm Coast, which was nearby and asked if we could pull in for a couple of hours to change the fuel filters.  They agreed to let us tie up, at no charge, and told us they had no way to dispose of the bad fuel.  A couple of folks at the dock helped me change the filters for the first time, including a small donation of diesel fuel needed to prime the filters.  It looks like a nice place to spend the night.  It sure was a friendly place.

Sea Ray Manufacturing Plant at Cape Canaveral Barge Canal

We were in the process of sand polishing our props when a brand new Sea Ray came up behind us.  We called on the radio to ask where the water was and the captain had us follow him into the canal.  He told us NOT to follow his next turn and he disappeared into the marshes going into the plant.  Nice folks and a special thank you.

Lock Tenders on the Okeechobee Canal, FL

Patsy and I have been boating for many years, but we’ve never been through a lock before the locks we encountered crossing Florida via Lake Okeechobee.  We were pretty up tight about how to do it correctly (that is, without causing a major repair to us or the lock).  The tender on the westernmost lock was great, telling us exactly what to do and when to do it.  His helpful training made all the other lock passages possible.  It seems that they put the best lock tenders on the extreme ends, to really provide some help to newbies. 

The lock tender on the northeast side of Lake Okeechobee asks that I pass along this information.  Always call the lock tender on channel 13, even if the lock gates are open.  The reason is that part of the lock tender’s job is to make sure that manatees are not in harms way while boats are going through the lock.

Fort Myers City Marina, Fort Myers, FL

This was the first place I ever docked the new boat.  The assistant dockmaster was helpful and courteous.  He offered some suggestions as to how I could handle the boat better.  He was kind enough to give me plenty of room on a Sunday morning to get to the dock.  They offered excellent fuel prices and a wide range of services.  It’s a nice place I hope we get to return to this year.

Dodge these Pots

Belhaven, NC

It’s unusual to have to tell boaters to avoid an entire town, but you may want to skip Belhaven altogether.  I won’t go into detail except to say that whether you have TowBoat/US or not, you will want to use SeaTow if you run into problems between Oriental and Coinjock.  Do not get towed to Belhaven with the promise of a travel lift.  Pirates plundered the merchant men in the past.  The pirates’ descendents settled in Belhaven and plunder unwary pleasure boater passing by today.

Casper’s Marina, Swansboro, NC

Swansboro hopes to become like Beaufort, NC.  It has a way to go.  The town was nice enough, but the marina staff was pretty clueless and not helpful.  The no-wake zone is completely ignored, so you spend a fair amount of time getting knocked around on fixed docks by the passing traffic.  Hold out for the next town or anchor out.

Daytona Beach Bridge Tenders

The only places where I had to argue for an opening were in Daytona Beach.  Two of the three bridges that I needed to open complained about having to do so.  One of them threatened to have the Coast Guard fine me $1000 for falsely requesting a bridge opening.  She also suggested that I didn’t need an opening if I would drop my anchor light.  She didn’t explain how I could do that while underway.  I admit that I came through on a Saturday in the spring and road traffic was heavy.  I wouldn’t have minded waiting.  Several other travelers mentioned to me the difficulties with Daytona Beach bridge operators and the State of Florida Department of Transportation now has a toll-free number you can call to complain.

Harbortown Marina Cape Canaveral Barge Canal